Tom Gilman, technical marketing manager, Amazon Web Services (AWS), explains why open source can advance the M&E technology landscape
By Contributor
Published: May 21, 2020
Tom Gilman, technical marketing manager, Amazon Web Services (AWS), explains why open source can advance the M&E technology landscape
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Tom Gilman, technical marketing manager, Amazon Web Services (AWS), explains why open source can advance the M&E technology landscape
https://www.tvbeurope.com/media-management/connecting-the-dots-between-open-source-and-the-viewer-experience title=Share via Email class=share-email>
Whether distributing live sports, an episodic series, film, or a combination thereof, content providers are always on the lookout for ways to make the viewer experience more enjoyable. To date this has prompted experimentation with video technology that supports higher resolutions and frame rates, high dynamic range, integrated analytics, low latency, and more. A premium audience experience is crucial where competition for viewers is fierce as new players continue to surface. While several approaches exist to enhance the quality of live and on-demand video services and create consistency across the viewing experience, the media and entertainment (M&E) industry is seeking out answers in open source technology.
In brief, open source software is source code that is made available for public consumption and modification. Its origins predate Y2K, with Netscape's release of the source code for its Navigator browser in the 1990s one of the first. Since then, the open source movement has gained momentum and foundations dedicated to promoting and supporting it have emerged, such as the Linux Foundation, Apache Software Foundation and Open Source Initiative. As the movement has gained traction, it's become standard practice for modern technology companies to make components of their software available via open source, and/or leverage open source code to accelerate their own technology and workflows.
Open source has caught on rapidly because it helps accelerate innovation as it lets developers gain access to the code and gives them the ability to modify it for their purpose and distribute it with their solution. These traits of view, modify, and distribute are the three freedoms of open source software. Additionally, open source software gives companies more flexibility and lower switching costs as compared to legacy proprietary vendors.
M&E, and the broadcast and OTT markets in particular, have also begun to adopt open source software. Across content creation and delivery, companies are harnessing open source code to accelerate the delivery of new and improved services to their customers. For instance, some of the biggest streaming customers using AWS have integrated Media Services Application Mapper (MSAM) open source code into their network and monitoring pipelines, and customised it to suit their environments, developments that have helped enhance video experiences for their audiences.
MSAM is an open source software package for monitoring live TV channels in the Cloud. When an issue arises, its built-in alarms alert teams and pinpoint the location of the problem. This allows them to identify and correct the video path far more quickly than using manual methods like logs. When deploying content at scale, such as spinning up a new service on a network with 150 channels, the benefits of being able to visualise the video path throughout the entire chain with MSAM are especially apparent and key to supporting more reliable video streams. While most of the implementations to date have been built on AWS, MSAM is available on Github, and there are many reasons it could also be leveraged similarly to improve network or CDN monitoring solutions being built by other companies.
Beyond MSAM, AWS is developing thousands of other open source projects, often in collaboration with other parties, to help advance the larger M&E technology landscape and ultimately benefit the end-user audience. However, building an open source community takes time, resources, and a dedicated outreach programme to bring awareness to new developments, from showcasing it at tradeshows and virtual events to customer demos, and more. That said, the efforts are well worth the results, and we expect to see momentum for open source continue to build in this industry, as it helps the teams behind-the-scenes innovate and drive the audience experience to new heights.
SubscribeFor more stories like this, and to keep up to date with all our market leading news, features and analysis, sign up to our newsletter here.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
02/03/2026
NBC Sports selected Imaginary Forces to create the main title sequence for the M...
02/03/2026
The NFL announces the launch of the NFL Draft Innovation Challenge, a new crowds...
02/03/2026
The World Teleport Association (WTA) has named Skyline Communications' DataMiner SatOps solution as a finalist for the 2026 Teleport Technology of the Year ...
02/03/2026
Ventum Tech announces a strategic partnership with Pixotope, a real-time graphic...
02/03/2026
Victory , a free, ad-supported sports streaming service, announces the launch of...
02/03/2026
Global powerhouse Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at this year's Eurovi...
02/03/2026
SBS brings together prominent voices to discuss rising social division and seek ...
02/03/2026
NITV Unveils Wednesday Night Sport Night
Media releases
A Midweek Hub for Blak Sport
Flagship NRL program Over The Black Dot moves to Wednesdays at 9:30pm
...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...
02/03/2026
Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...
02/03/2026
Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...
02/03/2026
ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...
02/03/2026
To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...
02/03/2026
Douglas Dubler
On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...
02/03/2026
ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...
02/03/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
02/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay
Entertainment
02 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
28/02/2026
With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...
28/02/2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and the Berklee All-Stars Big Band...
28/02/2026
Berklee Announces Two New Summer Programs in Los Angeles The Berklee Music Business Program and Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop bring imme...
28/02/2026
AI-RAN is moving from lab to field, showing that a software-defined approach is ...
28/02/2026
Autonomous networks - intelligent, self-managing telecommunications operations -...
28/02/2026
Back to All News
Final Trailer for BEASTARS Final Season Part 2' Roars Tow...
28/02/2026
New way to intentionally discover molecular glues could expand drug discovery Scripps Research scientists and colleagues show how drugs that eliminate certain d...
27/02/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company names Oliver Gray as Vice President, Network Sports and...
27/02/2026
The Gotham Sports App, the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and the YES Network, is now available for purchase through Prime Video fo...
27/02/2026
ESPN and the Horizon League announce a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement, continuing a 38-year collaboration that began with the 1988 Midwes...
27/02/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, NETGEAR will highlight its new switch models and major updates to its Engage Controller software. The company's network d...
27/02/2026
Riedel Communications announces that Fondazione Teatro alla Scala has deployed a...
27/02/2026
Lyuno specializes in media localization, including translation, dubbing, subtitling, and voice-over services for a wide array of entertainment content. The comp...
27/02/2026
Chyron Weather 2.3, the latest edition of Chyron's weather visualization suite for broadcasters and meteorologists, recently launched.
The release includes...
27/02/2026
Telestream, which concentrates in media workflow technologies, announces expanded practical AI enhancements across its Vantage, Vantage Cloud, EDC, Stanza, and ...
Tom Gilman, technical marketing manager, Amazon Web Services (AWS), explains why open source can advance the M&E technology landscape
